1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to prosthesis legs and, more particularly, to a cover for endoskeletal prosthesis legs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, endoskeletal prosthesis legs have been preferably used because they having many functional advantages. In conventional endoskeletal prosthesis legs, the skeletons of the prosthesis legs are important functional parts, so that a shell or a cover for covering a prosthesis leg is required. In the related art, to provide a shell or a cover for covering the endoskeletal prosthesis leg, a cylindrical urethane foam block is cut to form the thigh part or the calf part of a lower leg part. Of course, the thigh parts or the calf parts of conventional prosthesis leg covers must be specifically produced as integral one-piece parts to fit patients. The conventional soft and one-piece prosthesis leg covers made of urethane foam are disadvantageous as follows. 1) The kneecap is repeatedly expanded and contracted, thus becoming damaged within a short period of time. 2) The conventional soft and one-piece prosthesis leg covers do not have a symmetrical cylindrical shape, so that it is very difficult to cut them. 3) When the knee joint part of the prosthesis leg is bent, the cover is expanded, so that the knee joint part is overloaded. Particularly, while a patient, wearing the conventional prosthesis leg cover, swings his/her prosthesis leg, the prosthesis leg cover hinders the functionality of the knee joint part.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei. 6-225897 proposed a prosthesis leg soft foam cover, which uses both a patella part and a patellar landing guide, and is configured to avoid overload-induced deformation of the soft foam cover while executing bending motion of the knee joint part, thus avoiding damage to the soft foam cover and maintaining a desired appearance of the soft foam cover. Further, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3103785 proposed a prosthesis leg foam cover, which comprises two pieces that are an upper leg shell and a lower leg shell, with both an elastic band installed between the upper and lower leg shells, and a patella pad provided in back of the elastic band, thus improving the appearance of a knee joint part when a patient wearing the prosthesis leg foam cover, sits on a chair.
However, the conventional foam covers for covering the prosthesis legs are specific products, which must be cut to fit patients. Thus, the conventional foam covers for covering the prosthesis legs take a long time to produce and are thus very expensive.